Monthly Archives: November 2009

1. Give the kids washable markers and have them draw holiday borders around the bathroom mirrors.

2. Record a fun holiday message together on the answering machine.

3. Go on a natural ornament walk together. Collect a basket of pine cones, evergreen boughs or even driftwood depending on what sort of landscape you live in. Bring them home, bring out the gold and silver paint and glitter, and make ornaments. Attach ribbons to hang or gather them in bowls as centerpieces.

4. Start reading a wonderful holiday classic together. We particularly love "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." It’s so funny and so touching at once.

5. Decorate an outside tree with some edible ornaments for wildlife…

Cover pine cones with nut butter, suet or shortening and then roll them in birdseed.

Cut oranges into halves.

Cut bread into holiday shapes with cookie cutters and spread with suet and birdseed.

Make cranberry and popcorn garlands….

6. Laugh! All day long! Challenge yourself and the kids to laugh a certain number of times, or at least every half hour. Fake it if you have to — it’ll turn real. I guarantee the day will be better than it would have been otherwise.

8. Make advent booties. We did these for years and I’ve seen fancier versions online lately but ourse were marvelously fuss-free. All we did is gather all of our old baby socks and decorated them together with fabric paint, buttons, baubles, ribbon and even markers. We put a number from 1 to 25 on them and I hid them each day of December with little treats inside for each child. They all worked together to find the day’s sock and sometimes I’d whisper clues to the youngest. Some of the treats inside were quarters, dragon tears, slips of paper promising neat activities with me, Hershey kisses and tiny toys.

9. Make snowmen out of stiff mashed potatoes with an ice cream scoop (lay the snowman down on the plate, stacking won’t work!). Offer things like baby carrots, olives and peas to personalize him.

10. Go running together. Maybe it doesn’t sound magical to you, but children love to run and it’s a great way to spend time together and get healthy. It reduces stress, helps your heart, gets some fresh air and sunshine, and is just all around good for you. It also makes your child feel great when he or she can leave you gasping behind! :)

We’re back from our trip to see family. We had a wonderful time.
I’ll start sharing handmade holiday ideas tomorrow
(especially simple ones).
No matter which holiday you celebrate,
let the magic begin.:)

4. Do something with the kids that you really don’t want to do
but you know means a lot to them.
(Courtesy Magical Daddy Daryl)

5. Get some rubber gloves
and the fanciest trim you can find
and make fabulous cleaning gloves for each of you.
There are tutorials online like this if you sew
but I’m a glue gun kinda girl so I think I’ll wing it.

6. Hide funny little notes all over the house.
See how long it takes for people to find them all.

7. Go to a thrift store and get a cheap oil painting (without glass).
Take it home and alter it together with paint, glitter, fabric, anything!

8. Get a blank book and encourage all of the family members
to write, draw, etc. it in every day or two
as a sweet family memento.

9. Make pumpkin scones together and don’t look at the calories.
(Blame Magical Mama Lucy)

We cut a branch outside and trimmed it
and pushed it deep into a nice heavy potted plant.
Then we cut leaves out of colored paper
and wrote things we were thankful for
on each one.
We punched holes at the ends
and hung them from the branches.

We each had our own color.
Mine was teal, Daryl’s was red.
The kids had purple, green and blue.

The kids were so proud of our finished gratitude tree
and I have to admit it makes me smile too.

And did you know about the Melissa and Doug recalls in Canada?
I think those of us in the U.S. should be aware of it, too,
since their toys all come from the same factories (in China)
and the holidays are coming.

Enough seriousness.
Please go do some random silly thing now
and have a wonderful Sunday.:)